Telephone calls may be transmitted over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or over the internet via the voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Calls are recorded for a variety of reasons. Call centers may record calls for training purposes or for the analysis of the performance of call center operators. Call centers, or others, may record calls for archival and informative purposes so that the call may be referred to or played back at a later date. Law enforcement may record calls for the purpose of surveillance and investigation. Compliance rules, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, may also require certain types of calls be recorded.
The mechanism for the recording a call may be a simple recording device at one endpoint in which a recording is initiated by the push of a button. As sophisticated call management systems have become common, more options for recording calls have become available. A single call may be recorded in a variety of locations, which may or may not be located at a participant of the call. However, challenges remain in optimizing the selection and initialization of the recording at the variety of locations.